1. Field Of The Invention
This invention relates generally to filler cream compositions and more specifically to filler cream compositions having rapid melting or "get away" characteristics upon consumption.
2. Description Of The Prior Art
Filler creams have been used in baked goods in a variety of ways. The common use is to insert a filler cream into a baked pastry by injection. Another common method is to use a filler cream as a laminate or "sandwich" material between two cookies. An example of this latter use is found in the cookies marketed under the Trademark OREO.RTM..
Filler creams of this type have consisted primarily of sucrose or sucrose in combination with other sugars, fat, and flavoring. Variations on this basic combination can lead to significantly different properties in a cream filler. Sugar combinations cause a filler cream to be too sweet for eating in large quantities or if artificial sweetners are used the cream filler is too bitter to be palatable. Flavorings can vary the cream filler in numerous ways, however, the most common flavoring used is vanilla flavoring. The particular fat or oleaginous composition chosen has the greatest effect on the properties of a filler cream.
As is recognized from the prior art the fat or oleaginous composition used must be both edible and soft or "spreadable" at ordinary storage temperatures. The fat or oleaginous composition chosen should have good whipping and creaming properties so as to impart to the filler cream a light, consistent texture upon whipping or aeration. Also, the fat or the oleaginous composition chosen should have a palatable flavor without an after taste and should dissolve rapidly upon consumption. In commercial production, an ideal fat or oleaginous composition also has good shelf storage properties.
In general, it is desirable for a filler cream to have a short plastic range in which there is a high solid fat content at low temperatures and approximately no solid fat content at about 104.degree. F. For example, the prior art discloses that at 50.degree. F. the solid fat content of a filler cream should be 45 percent solid, at 80.degree. F. it should be at least 25 percent solid at 92.degree. F. it should be not less than 12.5 percent solid, at 100.degree. F. it should be not greater than 3 percent solid and at 104.degree. F. it should not be greater than 0.5 percent. The conclusion drawn from these parameters is that a good filler fat should retain its consistency at room temperature and melt completely and rapidly at body temperature. This last characteristic, due to the short plastic range, is commonly called "get away".
The whipping or aerating qualities of a filler fat refer to the ability of a filler cream to hold air incorporated into it. The air is sparged into the filler cream ingredients during manufacturing at about 95.degree. F. The air should be retained by the filler cream at room temperature for several months. Various processes exist for whipping air into filler creams. The whipping or aerating process steps cause a filler cream to be "light" on the palate during consumption. This property is best understood by comparing a whipped cream product to a solid fat product such as margarine. A solid fat product melts slowly on the tongue and leave an oleaginous coating. A whipped cream product dissolves rapidly and, in the ideal circumstances, leaves little after taste.
The characteristics of an oleaginous composition can be altered without changing the oils it contains by altering the amount of hydrogenation of the oils, the ratio of various oils to one another in the composition, and the amount of fractionation of the oils. Increased hydrogenation usually is responsible for greater plasticity of the oleaginous composition used in the filler cream. A reference detailing the properties of various food oils is Weis, Food Oils And Their Uses, The AVI Publishing Company (2d ed. 1983).
Shelf life of a filler cream can be improved by incorporating antioxidants into the oleaginous composition. Antioxidants resist the development of undesirable flavors and odors of the fats or oils present in the cream filler by preventing rancidity. A three to nine month shelf life is desirable for commercial filler creams. Stability of the filler cream refers to its resistance to structural, microbial, flavor, and color degradation.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,244,536 to Kidger discloses a process for making a traditional filler cream used in sandwich cookies. The oleaginous composition used in this reference contains two components. The first component is a commercially hydrogenated fat with a high content of C.sub.18 fatty acids. The second component which is a vegetable oil containing component has a high proportion of lauric acid. These two components are blended and subjected to interesterification. Any animal fats or vegetable oils can be used as the first component and tallow and lard are preferred for use as the second component. The vegetable oils used for the first component are identified in embodiments as coconut oil and palm kernel oil. The processes claimed by this reference lead to a filler cream which is pleasant tasting and has a good storage life, but does not have a quick "get away".
U.S. Pat. No. 2,359,228 to Lloyd et al. discloses a filler cream which has good storage properties which are achieved by incorporating into the cream dried starch conversion syrup solids. The use of dry corn syrup in place of dextrose stabilizes the moisture content within the final cookie product without producing a gritty filler cream. The filler cream of this reference again does not have a quick "get away".
U.S. Pat. No. 4,410,552 to Gaffeny et al. discloses an example of a filler cream. In this case it is used for chocolate candies in which the oleaginous composition is altered to improve and enhance "mouth feel". The materials used in this reference combine fats, sugars, water, and colloid substances, which are mixed and whipped together into a semi-plastic mass. The cream filler that is obtained does not have a texture which is either sticky or fatty like. The cream filler does not have a quick "get away" characteristic upon consumption.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,310,557 to Suggs et al. discloses food emulsifiers which are useful in producing filling creams and other products. The emulsifiers can produce products that are light in texture, but do not exhibit a quick "get away" upon consumption.
It is an object of this invention to produce a filler cream which has a quick "get away" when consumed. The filler cream according to this invention incorporates a filler fat, having an identified solid fat index, sugar, and a flavoring to produce a palatable, rapidly dissolving cream that has a stable storage life.